Refrigerator-car.



G. E. KNEPPBR.

REPRIGERATOR CAR.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.11,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. E. KNEPPBR.

REFRIGERATOR CAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.11, 1912. l8y8a Patented me: 9, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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narran strains rarnnr orario.

GEORGE' KNEPPE, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

' t* RIGERATOB-CAR.

LSPSS.

To all 'whom t may concern.:

Be it known that l, GEORGE KNEPPER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerator- Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the subject of' refrigerator cars, and has for its primary object means for maintaining a greater or less degree of low temperature within the car, according to the nature of the contents thereof, through the medium of a plurality of combined ice and brine tanks.

"With this end in view the invention contemplates a refrigerating device which consists of a plurality of tan-ks preferably arranged in each end of the car, the said tanks each being in communication with the other and having means associated therewith, whereby the height of brine can be regulated within the tanks. Accordingly, when the tanks are nearly full of brine the temperature within the car will be considerably lower, than when the tanks are only half lled. This is a very important feature in a refrigerator car, inasmuch as the provision thereof facilitates the safe transportation of a wide variety of products at the proper temperature not otherwise possible where a xed degree of cold is furnished by the refrigerating means. In the transportation of some fruits, which are shipped before they are ripe, itis desirable to ave atemperature that will permit the fruit to ripen somewhat by the time it reaches its destination. ln this case, the present invention is very useful, and also very economical because it only furnishes the required degree of frigidity, without the aid of warmer air from the outside, which is often injurious to the shipment Within the car.

Another object of this invention is to provide ample air circulating space around the combined ice and brine tanks, to obtain the maximum cooling efliciency from the refrigerating means. ln connection with the provision of increased air circulating space, the present invention also provides `means for keeping articles packed within the car away from the tank, and further provides means for draining-from the car the precipitation collecting on the exterior of the tanks, Without the ingress of air.

With these and other objects in view which peciicatton o Letters Patent. Application led November 1t, 1912. Serial No. 730,673.

ratentea nee. e, rara.

will 'more readily appear as the description of the case proceeds, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated vand claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a transverse sectional view of the end of a car showing the invention applied to the car. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a car, showing the invention in sideA elevation. l? ig. 3 is a detail front view of the piping used to'regulate the height of brine in the tanks. Fig. 4; is a side elevation ofthe construction shown in Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the drain plug used to drain the brine tank.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawin s.

Referring speci cally to the accompanying drawing C designates acar body with the present invention installed therein. ln

carrying out. the idea embodied in this application, it will be understood that the plurality of refrigerant tanks l may be placed at either one, or both ends of the interior of.7

the car. The said refrigerant tanks are filled with ice and salt which forms brine,

and are mounted upon a supporting base 2 which elevates the tanks from the bottom of the car, and provides ample space for the circulation of air underneath the tanks. It will also be noted that the tanks l are spaced away from the end of the car as indicated at 3, and are provided on the outside thereof with a plurality of current defiecting bailes 4 which prevent the air from keeping in close contact with the tanks, thus deflecting it and Causing it to intermingle with more or less warmer currents of air.

Among the many advantages in having a plurality of ice and brine tanks l, is, that the salt water contained'therein is prevented t0 a greater degree from splashing over the tops thereof when the car is subjected to the usual shocks and jars, thanfwould be the case if only one large tank were used. However, provision is made within each tank, to reduce the splashing out of the water to a minimum, by placing the guards la on the interior thereof near the top. rlhe said guards are similar in structure to the baflies 4 and extend al1 of the way around the sides of each tank.

In order to protect the tanks from coming in contact with articles sto-red within the car, there is provided a protecting wall which is provided at the top and bo-ttom thereof with the screen, 6. However, the

with the screens 6a which prevent ice which is put in through the hatch doors 10, from falling down into the space between the tanks and the car and also between the tanks and the walls 5.

The drain plugs 9, it will be observed, consist of an interiorly threaded collar 11 which is adapted to be riveted or otherwise secured to the tanks 1 near the bottom thereof. A threaded plug 12 which is pro-- vided with the opening 13 is screwedI lnto the threaded' collar 11. The head portion of the plug is provided with a square knob 14 which facilitates the unscrewing of the plug by means of a monkey wrench or key. When it is desired to drain the tanks the plug is unscrewed far enough to permit the opening 13 to co-me on the outside of the tank, and water issuing therefrom willbe directed-downwardly toward the bottom of the car instead of out into the compartment where the'products are stored. In connection with draining the tanks it. will be observed that the bottom of the car C is provided with the upstanding bead 15 which tends to prevent water of condensation which drips from the tanks, and also the drain. water, from spreading over the floor of the car. However, in order to pro-` vide for the carrying olf of the Said waterv the bead 15 is provided with the openings 16 which are in communication with a gutter 16 and the spouts 17 which lead to the bowls 18 of the traps 19. Each of the said traps 19 is secured to the bottom of the car b. the brackets 20 to which they are pivoted. onnected with the bowl lof each trap and extending on the other side of the pivot is a weighted arm 21 which serves as a counter-balance to restore the bowl to its normal position after it has been caused to empty the weight of water therein. It will be o served in connection wit-h the bowl 18 that the same will hold a sucient amount of water to cover the end of the spout 17, thus forming af water seal which prevents air from entering the car through the spout.

Each of ythe tanks 1 is provided with an outlet connection 22 which is in communication with a drain pipe line 23 that is common to all of the tanks, and located preferably near the middle portion thereof. Suitably located along the pipe line 23, and in communication therewlth is a three-way valve 24 which is provided with the lateral pipe extensions 25 and 26. The extension 25 is connected, to a verticalpipe member 27 which extends upwardly from the middle portion of the tank to a position substantially opposite the splash guard 1a on the interior of the tank. At this point there is a horizontal pipe' member 28, in communication with the pipe member 27, and also in communication with a downwardly extending pipe member 29. The said pipe member 29 communicates with va T ttin 30 which in turn, Ais in communication wit the pipe extension 26. The remaining outlet of the T fitting 30 is connected -to an exhaust pipe 31 which extends downwardly and empties into the trap 19 underneath the car.

n The tanks 1 are steadied and additionally secured in the car body, by t-he cross-beams 32, which are provided with openings 32a to permit the unobstructed passage and circulation of air around the tanks. The two uppermost cross-beams 32 have suitably secured thereto, the brackets 33 in which'a valve operating rod 34 is rotatably mounted. The said rod'34 is provided with a handle 35, which is accessible through thel hatch door 10. rlhe end ofthe rod opposite the handle is connected to a link 36, which is in turn operatively connected with thestem 24aof the draw-olf valve 24.

From the foregoing description, it will readily be seen that the pluralityoftanks 1 are accessible for filling with ice and salt, through the hatch doors 10 on the top of the car, and when they are filled, and the brine forms it will rise, for example, in the tanks to a level corresponding to the height of the horiajontal pipe 28. The valve 24 is normally turned so the brine will flow from the drain pipe line 23, through the valve, up the vertical pipe 27 and through the horizontal pipe 28, thence `downwardly through the pipe 29 and its connections to one of the traps 19, where it is emptied. Thus, the piping arrangement just re erred to, and the valve in its normal position constitute an overflow or safety device, ,for the tanks. However, when it is desired to reduce the level of the brine, the valve 24 is of the drain pipeline 23, but each of the l tanks can be further emptied by its individual drain plug 9. The water thus drawn off being conducted to the traps 19 by the spouts 17. A

It is thought that themany features and advantages of this invention will be readily apparent, and that minor details of construction ma be resorted to without sacriicingr the spirit of the invention or departing rom the scope of the claims. y

It will be readily noticed that the provision which is here afforded for retaining the brine from one icing station to another is one of the principal objects of the invention, and the facilities thus afforded make it quite possible to obviat-e the necessity of dischargin brine on the road bed, or providing ad itional storage tanks in the car Y to suitably take care of the brine` until the terminal points are reached.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator car havingl a plurality of refrigerant containing tanks, a supporting base therefor, air current deecting baiiles on the exterior of said tanks, splash guards von the interior of each tank, means associated therewith for regulating the volume of the -refrigerating agent therein, and.

means for draining each individual tank.

2. A refrigerator car comprising in combination with a car body, a plurality of refrigerant containing tanks installed therein, cross-beams extending transversely of the car body and bracing the tanks, drain plugs located near the bottom of each tank, a drain pipe line in communication with each of said tanks, a valved device Iconnected with said pipe line for regulating the volume of refrigerating agent Within the tanks, and a valve operating mechanism secured to the said cross-beams, said mechanism comprising a valve operating rod, a handle pivoted thereto, and a link having operative connection with the said valve.

3. A refrigerator car comprising in comof the valve, and means for opening -and closing said valve.

4. A refrigerator car comprising in combination'with a car body, a plurality of revfrigerantcontaining tanks, a supporting base therefor, drain plugs for each of said tanks, a bead provided with openings secured to the ioor of the car body, the latter having a gutter adjacent the said bead, a water-seal t-rap secured to the underside of the car body, a drain pi e line in communication witlh the'intermediiate portion of each of said tanks, an outlet pipe leading from the drain pipe tothe said trap, a valved liquid level elevating device interposed between the drain and outlet pipes, a protecting element adjacent the piped sides of the tanks, and outlet means in communication with the gutter in the car body and the said water seal trap.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

N. E. GEE, R. E.

of re- 

